~ Heading back to Callie

Category Archives: West

In the 1920s, Malibu Pottery along with other local pottery makers like Catalina Clay, Taylor Tilery, Brayton Laguna Pottery, etc. put California on the map of innovative tile makers. But it was Frederick Ringe who began it all when in 1892, he bought a ranch that stretched from Santa Monica to Oxnard and established Port Los Angeles Railroad to keep the Santa Fe Railroad from taking his property. His daughter Rhoda Agatha married Merritt Huntley Adamson and overtime build a home in Serra Retreat using tile craftsmen and from their work together began the Malibu Tile Works. That was 1926 and today the Adamson House has been preserved and opened for public view at the Malibu Lagoon State Beach.

Directly across the street and up the hill is the Serra Retreat now owned by the Franciscans Friars. The property was originally part of Frederick Ringe’s initial acquisition and after his death his wife May spent part of the fortune on litigation costs to keep the privacy her husband wanted, but her efforts were unsuccessful when in 1923 the Pacific Coast Highway was begun.

Undeterred, May began building the mansion using tile from the Malibu Pottery. The house was considered an unrivaled jewel that was never inhabited as the tile company caught fire and a year later, when her funds ran out, the Marblehead Land Company offered the bankrupt property for sale.

The tiled jewel sitting on 26 acres was placed under the patronage of Junipero Serra and the Franciscan Friars of the Province of Santa Barbara opened a Catholic retreat center. This center ran until the 1970 fire destroyed the original mansion. After decades of rebuilding, the grounds are now open daily.

In today’s session with Dr. Steve, Mama had a miraculous release from the back pain she’s carried all her life. It was nothing less than a miracle that, in the moment, was so exhilarating, even now, we continue to be stunned.

Peggy Bacon in mid-air backflip, Bondi Beach, Sydney, 6/2/1937 by Ted Hood, State Library of New South Wales

Our bird, Hummer, has been spoiled by a constantly filled feeder that Mama keeps for her on the clothes line in our yard. Last week I bought a second feeder, a bit larger, with white flowers. We hung it further down the wire near to the original feeder and found it wasn’t getting much use. “It’s the white flowers.” Mama explained. “She likes the red flowers on this one better.” “Really?” I thought. Knowing little to nothing about birds and not having spent as much time with Hummer as Mama, I had no opinion except to wonder about this.

As we were talking about her again this morning, she arrived, drank, sat on the wire and started to settle herself as she usually does and then surprise, let out a large squirt of pee onto the cement that Mama missed seeing while I exclaimed with pointed finger at the wet droplets.

“Mother hummingbird on edge of nest about to brood young,” by William Lovell Finley, OSU Special Collections and Archives, 1905

As I was making my way down the main drag toward work, I looked up and noticed a woman in red truck barely looking at the road while putting on her make-up. I had not seen someone so meticulously focusing her driving onto the turned, rear-view mirror and switched lanes for my own safety.

“Lady with the fox terrier trying to shift gears in a new Oldsmobile,” 1938, Photographs of General Motors and Chrysler. The New York Public Library, Science, Industry and Business Library, General Collection Division (NYPL Digital Library)

The small carrot, broccoli, and beet seeds we’ve potted are sprouting in 2.5 inch plastic pots that incubate by the kitchen light overnight. Once green stems rise from the dirt, we take them outside to fend for themselves in these warm California days. If it gets cold overnight, sometimes we coddle and bring them back in, trying for the first time ever to grow our own food.

“Spirit of ’18. The World Cry FOOD. Keep the home gardening going,” ca. 1917 – ca. 1919, U.S. National Archives, College Park, MD

With the weekend upon us there is an opportunity to move from here – from the workday life – to wherever there will take us. No plans are often the best way to manage what can be just a short, fun getaway.

Just like the beach, the Columbia River is shown here at Rooster Rock State Park, David Falconer (photographer), 1973, U.S. National Archives

Although we are far from harvesting and winnowing, we have started a winter garden from seed, hoping that the sprouted indoor fledglings will transplant well once they are strong enough. In the meantime, we continue to care for the small seeds that are finding their way up through the soil in the warmth of our well lit kitchen.